Jagz, 50 years ago I worked in the hotel business and it could not have existed without foreign staff- French chefs, Italian, Spanish, Turkish & Maltese waiters, Polish kitchen porters & housekeepers, Finnish chambermaids - you name it. The manager of the Central Hotel went on one occasion to Turkey to recruit waiters.

It was the same when I had a summer job on GCT buses. Folk like Danny complained of Pakistanis etc stealing locals' jobs, when there were vacancies open to all, and at fairly decent wages.

In my recent experience of the Highlands, the staff you are most likely to meet are Australians. I admit the service industries have never been known for excellent remuneration, but the British ( including Scots) have never been too fond of serving the public, thinking it demeaning, whereas many Europeans regard it as an honour and a pleasure.

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Just because we disagree doesn't mean I don't like you, and just because I don't like you doesn't mean I disagree with you.

Jagz, 50 years ago I worked in the hotel business and it could not have existed without foreign staff- French chefs, Italian, Spanish, Turkish & Maltese waiters, Polish kitchen porters & housekeepers, Finnish chambermaids - you name it. The manager of the Central Hotel went on one occasion to Turkey to recruit waiters.

It was the same when I had a summer job on GCT buses. Folk like Danny complained of Pakistanis etc stealing locals' jobs, when there were vacancies open to all, and at fairly decent wages.

In my recent experience of the Highlands, the staff you are most likely to meet are Australians. I admit the service industries have never been known for excellent remuneration, but the British ( including Scots) have never been too fond of serving the public, thinking it demeaning, whereas many Europeans regard it as an honour and a pleasure.

Bilbo, don't be so insulting.

I HAVE NEVER COMPLAINED OF PAKISITANIS STEALING LOCAL JOBS. What I have said is that the Glasgow Corporation went to Pakistan and brought Pakistanis into Glasgow to work on the Trams and Buses. So another one of your lies.

Your claim about Australians is unbelievable. How long were you up North. How much of it did you cover?

Your claim that the Scots think serving the public is demeaning. Where were you brought up? Glasgow was full of shopkeepers born in Scotland. It was only with the rise of Supermarkets that things changed. Don't give us the garbage that many Europeans think it is an honour and a pleasure to sreve the public. Get a life. Why don't they serve the people of their own country? Is that too demeaning for them. The rise of continental holidays, was the end of the Scottish holiday resorts, not the attitude of the Scottish workers.

Could you explain to us how Polish workers, in the masses you claim, managed to get out of |Eastern Europe? I was behind the Iron Curtain, and I can tell you that Poish workers did not come to this country in the numbers that are coming now. The Russians had a firm grip.

Listen, Oh educated one, it has only been since the EU let Eastern European countries like Poland, join the EU, that the Poles have been coming here in numbers. So get your facts right.

You are so like Nicola Sturgeon. Claim to want Scottish Independence, but show more concern for Non Scots than the native Scots. Your above post is an example. Not one good word for your fellow countrymen. You love Scotland so much you live in Spain. You live in Spain but haven't made one comment about the current crisis in Catalonia. Coward. For someone who claims to be Scottish, you should be ashamed of yourself. You know damn all about life in Scotland for the younger generations. Get lost.

I'll admit i don't know the area at all Danny, but did they bring in outsiders as locals didn't want to work in the service industry?

Hello Jagz

When you ask, did they bring in outsiders as the locals didn't want to work in the service industry' I will give an answer based on my own experiences.

Firstly, let me say that when I first started going up North about 35 years ago, in the Inverness and surrounding area, you would be hard pressed to find any 'foreign' workers in the service industry involving hotels.

I quickly learned that members of my family relied on employment in this industry. I soon was made aware that secondary schools pupils were grateful for part-time weekend work at local hotels.

Winter is a lucrative time up North for hotels. They provided plenty of all year round employment. Then came the expansion of the EU to include Eastern European countries. I have no complaint about the work rate of the Polish workers. What I find insulting is that it is claimed they are better workers than the local Scottish people. No, they are a cheaper labour force.

I have to be careful and not cause embarassment to someone close to me. So, this is what happened to him. He had been employed working on the grounds of a large hotel for a number of years. Some Polish people turned up one morning and started working on the grounds. After about a week, he and other local lads were called in. They were offered continuation of employment, if they agreed to a wage cut. They knew it was a set-up, so quit.

One of those Polish workers now runs a car-hire company. He takes Poles to the Inverness Airport for flights home, and picks them up on return. Notice something? Yes, the local Scots cab company has been cut out.

So Bilbo's claim that the Australians have muscled in is laughable.

By the way, although I have just mentioned groundsmen, the EU citizens have taken over all jobs. The receptionists are EU citizens. Nobody, but nobody, is going to convince me that the Scottish receptionists throughout the hotel industry have ALL left enmasse because the job was beneath them.

On our recent visit most of the room maids were EU citizens. This is in a village where local women had been employed.

I am waiting with interest to see the next Scottish Parliamentry election results for rural Scotland. I don't think the number Australian workers will make any difference to the result! I can't believe Bilbo said that!

Just had a thought. I will Google and ask, how many Australians work in the Scottish hotel industry?I bet the answer is , "One. His name is Wombat"!

Jagz, 50 years ago I worked in the hotel business and it could not have existed without foreign staff- French chefs, Italian, Spanish, Turkish & Maltese waiters, Polish kitchen porters & housekeepers, Finnish chambermaids - you name it. The manager of the Central Hotel went on one occasion to Turkey to recruit waiters.

It was the same when I had a summer job on GCT buses. Folk like Danny complained of Pakistanis etc stealing locals' jobs, when there were vacancies open to all, and at fairly decent wages.

In my recent experience of the Highlands, the staff you are most likely to meet are Australians. I admit the service industries have never been known for excellent remuneration, but the British ( including Scots) have never been too fond of serving the public, thinking it demeaning, whereas many Europeans regard it as an honour and a pleasure.

I remember my brother who worked as a coach painter in Larkfield garage in the late 60's early 70's saying that the Corporation had no choice but to employ immigrants as local people didn't want to work on the busses, and i doubt when the EU workers leave the Highlands Danny's relatives will fill the vacancies in the service industries, more likely non EU workers will be drafted in.

Jagz, I have told you about the case where Scottish workers were told they could keep their jobs if they took a wage cut, otherwise their jobs would go to EU citizens.

If you want to play the smart lawyer, don’t start cross examining me. If you are quite happy to see future generations of young Scottish people losing out on jobs because there is an unlimited supply of EU workers available, I won’t argue with you. But please, please stop going on that you want Scotland’s Independence. You are a Europhile!

I am at a disadvantage on this forum, because I am one of the few who are in their 80’s. My generation and earlier generations, fought for better working conditions to be handed down to future generations of Scottish children. I wish that people like Big Tommy, and those who worked in manufacturing industries were still around.

In one of his recent posts, Bilbo made the comment that previous generations made decent wages.Did they hell. It was overtime earnings that gave us a better standard of living. Two nights and a Sunday. That is how we managed.

I am too old now, at 86, a voice in the wilderness, but I will finish with this. You younger people are going to find out the hard way, that things haven’t changed. The masses are being manipulated by the people with the money. If Nicola Sturgeon has her way and gets Scotland membership of the EU, you can forget about Scotland being an independent country. With the passage of time, say in 100 years time, the native Scots will be in the minority. There are approximately three million EU citizens living in the UK just now. The population of Scotland is something in the order of five milion just now. Go on tell me that in 100 years from now, we won’t be outnumbered by EU citizens.

Won’t affect you will it. The end of World War l will be commemorated this year. 100 years after the event. Is this what millions died for?

Jagz, I have told you about the case where Scottish workers were told they could keep their jobs if they took a wage cut, otherwise their jobs would go to EU citizens.

If you want to play the smart lawyer, don’t start cross examining me. If you are quite happy to see future generations of young Scottish people losing out on jobs because there is an unlimited supply of EU workers available, I won’t argue with you. But please, please stop going on that you want Scotland’s Independence. You are a Europhile!

The population of Scotland is something in the order of five milion just now. Go on tell me that in 100 years from now, we won’t be outnumbered by EU citizens.

Won’t affect you will it. The end of World War l will be commemorated this year. 100 years after the event. Is this what millions died for?

Danny

I know what you told me Danny, you never said what their wage was and what it was to be cut to.

I asked you were the EU workers on minimum wage, and when has asking a question playing "a smart lawyer", is GG no longer a discussion board?

I do like Europeans (i am one as are you) and i'm not going to stop going on about independence, i have stated on many an occasion that i want independence first and when that is achieved then future referendums about the EU, Monarchy etc can be held if there is a demand for them.

I have no idea what the population will be in one hundred years, will we still have an EU by then and did the reason a lot of people voted Leave so EU nationals wouldn't be allowed in not work then?

You are correct that events one hundred years in the future won't affect me, that is why i'm doing my best for future generations by getting Scotland out of this not fit for purpose union.

I don't think "millions died for" to stop immigration to the UK, in my opinion millions died in the First World war because of a royal family squabble.

Your post is quite a long one, so I think it is easier for me to answer your post, in different stages.

I have to admit that I haven't grasped how you quote someone elses post, in sections. So I have resorted to the cut and paste method.

The following two sentences are what you wrote:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"I know what you told me Danny, you never said what their wage was and what it was to be cut to.

I asked you were the EU workers on minimum wage, and when has asking a question playing "a smart lawyer", is GG no longer a discussion board? "

So lets start by me replying that I told you a 'friend' of mine had been given the ultimatum. Either accept a cut in wages to go down to that which EU citizens were willing to work for, or get out.

Why are you asking me if the EU workers were on the minimum wage???? What has that got to do with it? Are you trying to justify the employers actions?

Am I supposed to have asked my friend, "How much are you paid"? I haven't a clue what he was paid. That is none of my business.

So as far as I am concerned your question to me, was what I would have expected from a lawyer, not a working class person.

If you see this as the way forward for our younger generations, don't tell me you want Scotland's Independence. What you want is to break away from Westminster. If we remain in the EU, the actions of the hotel management I have quoted, will become the norm for future generations of Scots.

Your idea of Independence and mine are completely different. I have no faith in the present SNP leadership. They are a political party. Their agenda focuses too much on issues unrelated to Scotland's Independence. Issues like Baby Boxes are just a political gimmick.

I also read today that a former New York Mayor wants Nicola Sturgoen to be part of a group of people to look into the world wide problem of obesity. I hope she politely tells him that Scotland is too important, for her to accept his invitation.

Finally , regarding your question above, "Is the GG no longer a discussion board"? I find it hard to believe that you asked that question.

Your buddy Bilbo, destroyed this forum a long time ago. Anyone who disagreed with him was labelled rascist, homophobic, gullible etc. There are only about six regulars on this forum now. We don't hold discussions. We slag each other off.

Your post is quite a long one, so I think it is easier for me to answer your post, in different stages.

I have to admit that I haven't grasped how you quote someone elses post, in sections. So I have resorted to the cut and paste method.

The following two sentences are what you wrote:-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------"I know what you told me Danny, you never said what their wage was and what it was to be cut to.

I asked you were the EU workers on minimum wage, and when has asking a question playing "a smart lawyer", is GG no longer a discussion board? "

So lets start by me replying that I told you a 'friend' of mine had been given the ultimatum. Either accept a cut in wages to go down to that which EU citizens were willing to work for, or get out.

Why are you asking me if the EU workers were on the minimum wage???? What has that got to do with it? Are you trying to justify the employers actions?

Am I supposed to have asked my friend, "How much are you paid"? I haven't a clue what he was paid. That is none of my business.

So as far as I am concerned your question to me, was what I would have expected from a lawyer, not a working class person.

If you see this as the way forward for our younger generations, don't tell me you want Scotland's Independence. What you want is to break away from Westminster. If we remain in the EU, the actions of the hotel management I have quoted, will become the norm for future generations of Scots.

Your idea of Independence and mine are completely different. I have no faith in the present SNP leadership. They are a political party. Their agenda focuses too much on issues unrelated to Scotland's Independence. Issues like Baby Boxes are just a political gimmick.

I also read today that a former New York Mayor wants Nicola Sturgoen to be part of a group of people to look into the world wide problem of obesity. I hope she politely tells him that Scotland is too important, for her to accept his invitation.

Finally , regarding your question above, "Is the GG no longer a discussion board"? I find it hard to believe that you asked that question.

Your buddy Bilbo, destroyed this forum a long time ago. Anyone who disagreed with him was labelled rascist, homophobic, gullible etc. There are only about six regulars on this forum now. We don't hold discussions. We slag each other off.

So lets start by me replying that I told you a 'friend' of mine had been given the ultimatum. Either accept a cut in wages to go down to that which EU citizens were willing to work for, or get out.

Your buddy Bilbo, destroyed this forum a long time ago. Anyone who disagreed with him was labelled rascist, homophobic, gullible etc. There are only about six regulars on this forum now. We don't hold discussions. We slag each other off.

Danny

I asked what i thought were reasonable questions Danny, i don't take hearsay from friends or what the guy down the pub said as fact.

Neither the journos nor the rabid unionist posters at the Hootsman pointed that insignificant fact out, yet another example of the MSM knowing few people read beyond the headlines or they would have discovered at the very end what a waste of time and effort this non story was.

"An SNP spokesman said: “Kezia Dugdale’s support for tackling this serious issue is of course welcome - but she seems unaware that the SNP Government has already committed to such a campaign as part of its Equally Safe strategy. “That is perhaps because when this strategy was published - and when an excellent debate took place in Parliament on this matter - Ms Dugdale was in the jungle appearing on I’m A Celebrity. “She also missed Parliament’s debate on the Gender Representation on Public Boards Bill for the same reason.”

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